---
title: Your sis says "English has nothing like measure words, they're weird… — Mandarin compared with English · tree and pragmatics
description: Your sis says "English has nothing like measure words, they're weird." What's fair? Test 9 · ★ of lesson 34 «Mandarin compared with English» of the language course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was wrong.
---

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# Test 9 · ★ · Mandarin compared with English

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Your sis says "English has nothing like measure words, they're weird." What's fair?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 3 · **The right answer:** option 4 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** sis, English, words · **What happens:** say, have, be · **To what, where:** nothing · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 9 · ★ of lesson 34 «Mandarin compared with English» of the language course of Mova's primary school. The page gives the question's syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause, then the 4 options as the student saw them, each with its tree and pragmatics. Every text is parsed by Mova itself. How the student answered it, with the score of every option and why: [the test at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/language/34-mandarin-compared-with-english/#t9).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* Your sis says "English has nothing like measure words, they're weird."

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:34-mandarin-compared-with-english:t9:1
# text = Your sis says "English has nothing like measure words, they're weird."
1	Your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	sis	sis	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	6	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	English	English	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	ccomp	_	_
7	nothing	nothing	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	6	obj	_	_
8	like	like	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	measure	measure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	compound	_	_
10	words	word	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
12	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	14	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	're	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	14	cop	_	_
14	weird	weird	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	14	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	14	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | Your sis |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **have** *in a quote* | present | English | nothing |  |  |  | like measure words | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent nothing=Patient |
| 3 | **is** *in a quote* | present | words *= word* |  |  |  |  | weird *property* | tree rules |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* What's fair?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:34-mandarin-compared-with-english:t9:2
# text = What's fair?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	3	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	fair	fair	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | fair *property* | tree rules |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
She's right, English has nothing at all like them, they're only Chinese

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:34-mandarin-compared-with-english:t9:o1:1
# text = She's right, English has nothing at all like them, they're only Chinese
1	She	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	's	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	right	right	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	6	punct	_	_
5	English	English	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	csubj	_	_
7	nothing	nothing	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	6	obj	_	_
8	at	at	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	7	nmod	_	_
10	like	like	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	them	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	16	punct	_	_
13	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	16	nsubj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	're	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	16	cop	_	_
15	only	only	ADV	RB	_	16	advmod	_	_
16	Chinese	Chinese	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | She |  |  |  |  | right *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **have** | present | English | nothing |  | all |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent nothing=Patient |
| 3 | **is** | present | they |  |  |  |  | chinese *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
English uses tones instead

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:34-mandarin-compared-with-english:t9:o2:1
# text = English uses tones instead
1	English	English	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	uses	use	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	tones	tone	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obj	_	_
4	instead	instead	ADV	RB	_	2	advmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **use** | present | English | tones |  |  |  | instead *property* | vn eat-39.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent tone=Patient |

### Option 3 · ← Mova's choice {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
English has a measure word for every noun

```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:34-mandarin-compared-with-english:t9:o3:1
# text = English has a measure word for every noun
1	English	English	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	measure	measure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	word	word	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	for	for	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	8	det	_	_
8	noun	noun	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | English | a measure word |  |  |  | for every noun | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent word=Patient |

### Option 4 · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
English has some, like "a piece of paper" and "a loaf of bread"

<!-- fold The tree, 13 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:language:34-mandarin-compared-with-english:t9:o4:1
# text = English has some, like "a piece of paper" and "a loaf of bread"
1	English	English	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	2	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
5	like	like	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	piece	piece	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	paper	paper	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	8	punct	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
13	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	15	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	loaf	loaf	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	conj	_	_
16	of	of	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
17	bread	bread	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	15	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | English | some |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- div src -->

**Text:** the tests of Mova's primary school, written for Mova (`world/data/school/`), as the course runner gave them to the student. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each text read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

<!-- /div -->

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